The University of Alabama School of Social Work is proud to announce that Dr. Brian E. Bride, Hill Crest Foundation Endowed Chair in Mental Health, has been awarded a $2.4 million Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to help strengthen Alabama’s behavioral health workforce.
The BHWET grant supports the education and training of clinical social workers with a focus on serving children, adolescents, and young adults at risk for mental health, trauma, and behavioral health disorders. Through expanded training opportunities and community partnerships, this grant program addresses ongoing workforce shortages across the state, particularly in rural and medically underserved areas.
The BHWET program focuses on reducing the financial and structural barriers that often prevent students from entering the behavioral health workforce. The participating Master of Social Work student will receive a $25,000 stipend, along with enhanced training opportunities designed to better prepare them for practice.
“The financial support will significantly reduce, if not eliminate, barriers for students who want to pursue this work,” Bride said. “It allows them to focus on their training and fully prepare to serve children, adolescents, and young adults who need behavioral care.”
The MSW student will also take part in specialized professional development, including training in integrated and interdisciplinary behavioral health care. The initiative includes simulation-based learning experiences developed specifically for this project, which may later be expanded for broader use across the School of Social Work.
Beyond individual student support, the grant is designed to strengthen Alabama’s behavioral health workforce over the long term by increasing the number of graduates prepared to work with youth and young adults in high-need communities.
“One of our goals is to increase the number of graduates who want to work with children, adolescents, and young adults, especially in rural and underserved areas,” Bride said. “Across Alabama — and across the country — we simply don’t have enough behavioral health providers for this population.”
The program emphasizes team-based, integrated models of care that bring behavioral health services into primary care settings. By training alongside other health professionals, the MSW student gains experience working in collaborative environments that reflect how care is increasingly delivered across the state.
“Training in interdisciplinary and integrated care is essential,” Bride said. “It improves the effectiveness of services and ultimately leads to better outcomes for children and families.”
By expanding experiential training and strengthening community partnerships, this program will contribute to workforce development, service access, and economic stability across Alabama. The MSW student will be prepared to step into high-demand roles in community agencies, primary care clinics, and rural health systems.
Founded in 1965 by an act of the Alabama Legislature, the University of Alabama School of Social Work was established to address the state’s critical shortage of professionally trained social workers. Today, it remains the only program in Alabama offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in social work.
“By expanding experiential training and strengthening community partnerships, this program will contribute to workforce development, service access, and economic stability across Alabama,” Schnavia Smith Hatcher, Dean of UA School of Social Work, said. “The MSW student will be prepared to step into high-demand roles in community agencies, primary care clinics, and rural health systems.”